yeah, the $43,000 isn't as bad as it could be. I had to pay $17,000 in tuition my first and second years cause I was out of state. I paid for most everything by working 40 hours a week the rest of college. So far I have yet to use my degree for anything really except applying for grad school in an entirely unrelated field. Grad school would cause another $38,000 in loans. The cost of school is annoying but will be worth it when im 35 or so.
In regards to my car.... Yeah, I spent a lot of $$ on a car. But that car has also been the means of me being able to live the life I have wanted to for the last 3 years or so. I bought it cause my Golf kept breaking and was costing me an average of $300 a month after repairs. So I got the incredibly reliable car that I could take out on my archaeology sites, fit everything I own in, travel across the country with out hesitation and now be able to handle the occasional 10 foot snow storm. I love my car and now my payments are really low and I have no worries of it breaking down or not being able to handle the conditions I need it for.
Basically I was doing a lot of archaeology work and doing outside sales work for the local mountain, both of which required my own vehicle, both needing awd or 4wd to have the job. You kids will realize that sometimes $27,000 into a depreciating item is worth the cost when your work/lifestyle relies on it.
